Electric car heater



1933- G. F. WENNAGEL ET AL 8 ELECTRIC CAR HEATER Filed June 17, 1927 2sheets-sheet 1 Aug. 29, 1933. G. F. WENNAGEL ET Ah 1,924,293

ELECTRIC CAR HEATER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 17, 1927 liilinug.

liilll li ll!ll l lil l l illllllll Patented Aug. 29, 1933 cries1,924,298 ELECTRIC can HEATER George F. Wennagel and Carroll more, Md.

Thomas, Balti- Application June 17, 1927. Serial No. 199,574

15 Claims.

The invention relates to electric car heaters.

The principal object of the invention, generally stated, is to provide acar heater adapted to be mounted beneath the seats and to be supportedin part by the seat pedestal, the device perforn ing the double functionof serving as a heater and as a foot rest.

An important object of the invention is to provide a car heaterparticularly well adapted for use in connection with the car heating sysem disclosed in our co-pending application for patent for Car heatingapparatus, filed April 1st, 1926, Serial No. 99,137, there being,however, no limitation as to the employment of the present device aspart of said system inasmuch as it could be used in connection with someothe system.

Another object of the invention is to provide a car heater having anovel ground connection whereby the current will be carri d on to thecar trucks in the event of a short circuit within the heater so thatinjury to the passengers will be avoided, the ground connection forminga part of the device itself.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a heater soconstructed as to be capable of application to or mounting upon thepedestals of seats of different lengths, it being consequently possibleto effect installation in already existing railway equipment without anyparticular difdculty.

Still another object is to provide a heater which preferably has aheating unit cast or molded into the heat radiating shell to avoidlosses as the result of poor mechanical contact, the specific unit beingconveniently constructed in accordance with the disclosure in ourco-pendiir application for patent filed June 17, 1927, Serial No.199,577.

An additional object is to provide a heating device of this characterwhich will be simple and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install,positive in action, efficient and durable service, and generalimprovement in the art.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the inventionpreferably consists in the detailed cons :uction and the arrangement andcombination of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the device, with parts in section,showing it mounted position. with respect to a portion of a car and aseat pedestaL.

Figure 2 is a cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 4-4- ofFigure l, and

Figure 5 is a detail section through the ground clamp taken on the line5'-5 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates aportion of the side, 2 the floor line and 3 a seat pedestal which, as iswell known, is generally of a hollow shell-like construction though, asa matter of fact, there is no particular limitation as to this detailinasmuch as the heater to be described might just as readily be mountedupon a seat pedestal of an entirely different type. In cars of moremodern types there is usually provided a channel, housing or conduit 4at the juncture of the side or wall with the floor'for the purpose ofenclosing the conductors which feed current to whatever heaters are usedor to any other devices forming part of the car equipment, the housingor conduit being generally lined with asbestos or other noninfiammablematerial 5. However, no novelty is claimed up to this point.

In carrying out the present invention we provide a bracket or end member6, formed conveniently as a casting, disposedagainst the side of the caroragainst the conduit or housing and secured thereto as by means ofscrews or bolts 7 located at any desired points, it being preferablethat sheets of asbestos or the like indicated at 8 be interposed betweenthe bracket and the side wall or housing for the purpose of preventingconduction of excessive heat to the latter, Near its ends the bracket isshown as formed or otherwise provided with sockets 9 within which areengaged the ends of elongated foot rest members 10 which may, in actualpractice, he formed simply as lengths of pipe having their other endsclosed by caps, plugs or the like indicated at 11. The members 10 passslidably through Ts or their equivalent, as shown at 12, these Ts being,in turn, carried by a transverse member 13, which may also be a pipe,extending through suitable openings 14 in the seat pedestal 3. In Viewvof the fact that the members 12 are slidable with respectto the members10 it is clear that installation of the device may be readily effectedbeneath seatsiof different lengths, that is to say, regardless of thedistance between the seat pedestal and the side of the car. Obviously,in the assembly of the parts it will be necessary that the member 13 beinserted through the seat pedestal and connected with the Ts 12 prior tothe placing of the members 10 in position. Any desired means may beprovided for holding the parts against subsequent displacement. Whilethe above described parts are shown as consisting of pipe sections andfittings it should be distinctly understood that anything of anequivalent nature may be used though these elements are highlysatisfactory on account of their simplicity and for the additionalreason that the cost thereof is slight. The members 10 not only serve asfoot rests but cooperate with the parts 12, 13 and 1 1 to form a portionof the supporting frame for the heater to be described, the framestructure further including a bar 15 bridging the space between themembers 10 and extending through openings 16 in the confronting portionsthereof, the bar terminating in reduced extensions 17 fitting withinsockets 18 in the outer portions of the members 10. Notwithstanding thedisclosure, an alternative structure embodying these same generalcharacteristics may be provided.

The heater itself is indicated generally at 19 and preferably comprisesa metal shell 20 located between the bracket 6 and the bar 15. Extendingaxially through the shell is the heating unit indicated as a whole bythe numeral 21 and this heating unit may embody the details disclosed inthe above mentioned co-pending application filed June 17, 1927, SerialNo. 199,576 and preferably has the radiating shell cast directly thereonas set forth in the above mentioned co-pending application filed June17, 1927, Serial No. 199,577, though it is conceivable thatmodifications in these particulars may be resorted to. It should bementioned in passing that the shell 20 is provided with any suitablenumber of outstanding vanes 22 for the, purpose of increasing theradiating surface.

The heating unit is disclosed as comprising an elongated metal tube 23which has one end pro- .iecting beyond the shell 20 and secured withrespect to therbar 15 by means of a saddle or clamp 24 located beneaththe bar 15 and secured thereto as by bolts and nuts 25 and 26respectively though other securing means could be employed if desired.The other end of the tubular member 23 carries a cuif 27 which isexternally threaded and screwed within a threaded boss 28 which projectsfrom the bracket or end member 6. The tube 23 contains a suitableresistance element 29 here shown as wound upon a core 30 and embeddedwithin a mass 31 of material such as magnesium oxidewhich acts toconduct the heat to the shell and which also acts to hold the resistancecoil in place and prevent vibration there of. At the second mentionedend of the tubular member 23 there is preferably provided an insulator32 through which extend the terminals 33 which connect the resistancecoil with the feed cables 34 located within the ,box or casing 4,another insulator 35 being provided in the wall of this housing or boxwhere the cables pass there through. The space between the insulators 32and 35' is preferably filled with some insulating andsealing compoundindicated at 36.

An important feature is the provision of means for grounding the heaterso that in case of a short circuit the current will be conducted away tothe car trucks and injury to passengers prevented. In the carrying outof this detail it is intended that all of the heaters in a car beconnected with a conductor 37 which may extend entirely around the carand which may be connected with one or more trucks at any desired numberof points. At each heater the conductor 37 is accommodated within agroove 38 in the lower portion of the'bracket 6 and is secured thereinby means of a clamping plate 39 provided with a rib 40 entering thegroove and engaging the conductor 37. The clamping action is efiected bymeans of suitable cap screws 41 or the like. While it is not essential,it may be preferable to provide a strip or block a2 of insulatingmaterial located between the bracket 6 and the floor of the car. Molding43 may be provided to enclose the conductor 37.

Assuming that the installation has been made as above described and asshown, it will of course be apparent that the heater will act insubstantially the same manner as any other heater of the resistancetype, the heat generated by the resistance of the coil 29 to the flow ofcurrent therethrough being communicated by the packing 31 and tubularmember 23 to the shell 20 where radiation occurs. The members 10 serveas foot rests for the convenience of the passengers of the car and owingto their provision it is apparent that there will be no necessity andprobably no possibility of placing their feet upon the radiating shellwith possible detriment to their footwear. It is really believed thatthe construction, operation and advantages will be readily apparent toone skilled in the art without further explanation.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of theinvention it should be understood that the disclosure is merely anexemplification of the general features involved and that the right isreserved to make all such changes in the details of construction andalso the combination and relation of parts as will not depart from thespirit of the invention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus described the invention, claim:

1. In a car heater, the combination with a seat and its pedestal andwith a metallic member at the side of the car, of an electric heaterlocated beneath the seat and having one end carried by the pedestal andits other end carried by said member the heater including a heatradiating member having a heating unit therein and further includinglongitudinally extending foot rests located at opposite sides of andspaced from the radiating member.

2. In a car heater, a bracket mounted at the side of the car beneath aseat, a frame carried by the bracket and connected with the seatpedestal, a heat radiating member mounted within the frame, and aheating unit within the radiating member, the frame including foot restslocated at opposite sides of the radiating member.

3. In a car heater, a bracket mounted at the side'of the car beneath aseat, a frame carried by the bracket and connected with. the seatpedestal, a heat radiating member mounted within the frame, and aheating unit within the radiating member, the flame including foot restslocated at opposite sides of the radiating member and being adjustablelongitudinally for mounting beneath seats of different lengths.

4. In a car heater, a supporting member mounted beneath a seat andagainst the side of a car, a frame carried by said supporting member andincluding spaced foot rests and a transverse element connecting the sameand extending through the seat pedestal, a radiating member carried bythe frame and extending axially thereof, a heating unit within theradiating member, and a ground connection secured to the supportingmember.

5. In a car heater, a supporting member mounted beneath a seat andagainst the side of a car, a frame carried by said supporting member andincluding spaced foot rests and a trans verse element connecting thesame and extending through the seat pedestal, a radiating member carriedby the frame and extending axially thereof, a heating unit within theradiating member, and a ground connection secured to the supportingmember including a clamping plate, the supporting member having a groovereceiving a conductor held by the clamp.

6, In a car heater, a metallic supporting member mounted against theside of a car beneath a seat, longitudinally extending foot restscarried by said supporting member, a transverse member carried by saidfoot rests and extending through the seat pedestal, a support carried bythe foot rests, a radiating member having one end secured to the firstnamed support and its other end carried by the second named support, aheating unit Within the radiating member, the first named support havinga groove therein, a grounded conductor lying within said groove, andmeans carried by the first named support for holding the conductorwithin the groove.

7. In a car heater, a metallic supporting member mounted against theside of a car beneath a seat, longitudinally extending foot restscarried by said supporting member, a transverse member carried by saidfoot rests and extending through the seat pedestal, a support carried bythe foot rests, a radiating member having one end secured to the firstnamed support and its other end carried by the second named support, aheating unit within the radiating member, the first named support havinga groove therein, a grounded conductor lying within said groove, andmeans carried by the first named support for holding the conductorwithin the groove comprising a clamping plate disposed against the faceof the first named support and having a rib extending into the grooveand engaging the conductor.

8. In a car heater, a metallic supporting memaer mounted against theside of a car beneath a seat, longitudinally extending foot restscarried by said supporting member, a transverse member carried by saidfoot rests and extending through the seat pedestal, a support carried bythe foot rests, a radiating member having one'end secured to the firstnamed support and its other end carried by the second named support, aheating unit within the radiating member, the first named support havinga groove therein, a grounded conductor lying Within said groove, andmeans carried by the first named support for holding the conductorwithin the groove, the foot rests being slidable with respect to saidtransverse member to permit mounting of the member beneath seats ofdifferent lengths.

9. In a car heater, a metallic support disposable against the side of acar beneath a seat, foot rests carried by said support, a transversemember slidable along said foot rests and extending transversely throughthe seat pedestal, a transverse bar bridging and connected with the footrests, a radiating member, a heating unit extending axially through theradiating member and projecting beyond both ends thereof with one endsecured to the support and its other end supported by the bar.

10. In a car heater, a metallic support dispos able against the side ofa car beneath a seat, foot rests carried by said support, a transversemember slidable along said foot rests and extending transversely throughthe seat pedestal, a transverse bar bridging and connected with the footrests, a radiating member, a heating unit extending axially through theradiating member and projecting beyond both ends thereof with one endsecured to the support and its other end supported by the bar, theheating unit embodying a tubular metal case united to the radiatingmember.

11. In a car heater, a support disposed against the side of a car andprovided with a groove, a frame carried by the support, a radiatingmember mounted in the frame and enclosing a heating unit secured to thesupport, a grounded conductor lying within said groove, and a clampingmember disposed against the support and having a projection thereonentering the groove and engaging the conductor.

12. Heating means for a car having a side and having a seat mounted atone end on a pedestal, comprising a frame mounted at one end on the sideof the car and having its other end longitudinally adjustably supportedby the seat pedestal, and a heating unit within the frame, said frameserving as a foot rest.

13. Heating means for a car having a side and having a seat mounted atone end on a pedestal, comprising a support mounted at the side of thecar, a support extending through the seat pedestal, a frame secured tothe first named support and adjustably carried by the second namedsupport, and a heating unit within the frame, the frame serving as afoot rest.

14. Heating means for a car having a side and having a seat mounted atone end on a pedestal, comprising a support mounted upon the side of thecar beneath the seat, a horizontally arranged support extending throughthe seat pedestal, horizontal frame members secured to the first namedsupport and slidably connected with the second named support, aradiating member in the frame, portions of the frame serving as footrests, and a heating unit within the radiating member.

15. In a heating apparatus for a car having a side and having a seatsupported at one end upon a pedestal, a bracket member secured upon thecar side, a supporting member carried by the intermediate portion of thepedestal, longitudinally extending frame members slidably connected withsaid supporting member, said bracket having sockets receiving said framemembers, a radiating member formed upon said bracket member, atransverse element connecting said frame members and supporting one endof said radiating member, and a heating unit located within saidradiating member and including a sheath projecting beyond one endthereof, said bracket member having an opening accommodating saidsheath, the heating unit having terminals projecting through and beyondsaid opening.

GEORGE F. WEN NAGEL. CARROLL THOMAS.

